Total Girl chats to eight-year-old
EPIC actress
Emma Kenney about working on the animated flick.
What what age did you get into acting?
I started doing acting classes and I did improv, when I was about five or six years old just for fun. I didn't start auditioning until I was eight.
What is it about acting that you love the most?
I've always just loved movies and playing make believe which is why I loved improv. I think I just mostly love to get into another character's mind and become someone else for a while. I also love being on set, it's just such a fun and cool environment and I genuinely love it!
How do you prepare yourself for a hard scene?
For really any scene, sad or happy, I just try to get into the 'mind set' of my character. You have to take time to think about the person you are playing. It's not about how you would react. It's about how your character would react.
Can you cry on cue? How do you do that?
Yes, I can cry on cue and weirdly enough, I like to do it too! It's almost satisfying after you do a good and strong emotional scene. Connecting is so important when crying on cue. You need to feel your own personal emotion and express it, in the way your character should. I also have a playlist of songs on my phone that make me sad, which I always listen to before doing a crying scene. I think everyone does this one, but I also think of something sad to make me cry, but I can only use it once, after I cry it out, the tears are done for good!
How different is it when you voice a character in comparison to physically acting as that person?
It's so different! In voice over work, you have to portray the character's emotions through your voice rather than using facial expressions or body language. But both are fun to do, just really different.
Which do you enjoy the most when you worked on EPIC?
I think I like to act on camera, a little bit more than voice over, because you get to express the character more through what is not being said. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.
Did you get to meet Amanda Seyfried while working on EPIC?
No, I didn't because in voice over you don't actually work with the other actors. But I wish I did! I love her! Mean Girls is one of my favourite movies!
Do you have any advice for kids who might want to get into acting?
Go to an acting class if you want, they are so fun! It's also cool to just make movies on a video camera or your phone with your friends, I do that and it's good practice and so much fun! :)